Facade Retrofit of Kupfrian Hall NJIT

Spring 2026

CURRENT STATE

  • Little to no lights in the classrooms

  • Not enough room for the necessary amount of classrooms

  • Very little dedicated work space – just an open area with random tables around. 

Existing

  • Existing Vertical fins serve as a gesture of facade continuity– functionally ineffective.

INTERVENTION SUMMARY

Intervention I

DESIGN INTERVENTION 1

REMOVAL OF VERTICAL FINS AND INCREASED GLAZING RATIO

EXISTING STRUCTURE

Before

FS_with EDL_Shingle roof_Cathedral ceiling

BACKGROUND

  • Kupfrian Hall is an academic building at NJIT

  • Built in 1960

  • Previously used as a library and theater

  • Prominence of the structures weaned as the surrounding ones got renovated or replaced by newer/modern buildings

Intervention II

PROPOSED STRUCTURE

  • Increases access to sunlight without hitting maxing out.

  • Keep brick facade 

  • One concern with this strategy was the fact that the bottom floor was underground and covered. 

  • We propose the design below where the space under the ramp is voided out and a public design could be inserted instead, which also allows the light from above into the classrooms

SKYLIGHTS

DESIGN INTERVENTION II

  • Kupfrian Hall has relatively wide hallways—approximately 7–10 feet

  • Introducing  small, staggered skylights along the hallways would create a greater sense of openness and comfort. 

  • Would also allow indirect daylight to filter into adjacent classrooms

  • Through VELUX Skylight Products 

  • Custom Deck Mounted Fixed Skylight 

  • Works on an angled roof - 14-85 degree pitch

  • COST:  $700 per unit 

LEED, TOTAL COST, & SOURCE

DESIGN INTERVENTION III

LOWER SKYLIGHTS

Daylight Analysis – Lower Skylights

  1.   Use the existing 3’ clerestory window height to start the angled skylights into lower classrooms 

  2.  Just a 4-5’ extension that would diffuse great indirect light

  3.  NOTE: Left photo is a newer analysis trial where the building is detecting more light than it should.

SOLAR PANEL ARRAY

After

BASEMENT SKYLIGHT PRODUCT REFERANCE

SUPPORTING SYSTEMS

Intervention III

  • Skylights from the roof are unable to bring light down to the bottom floor.

  • If the space in front of the existing windows were utilized below—allowing the lower classrooms to expand into that width—the roof of this extension could incorporate skylights.

  • The roof is incredibly underutilized

  • As it currently stands, it is a flat concrete surface exposed to constant sunlight. 

  • The area of the roof is about 21,048 square feet, without the theater included, and we propose about 40% of that space to be dedicated to solar panels. 

  • This would create energy not just for Kupfrian but for any other NJIT hall surrounding the building. 

  • Vertical Fins:

    • Selective Facade Demolition: $2–$7/SF for partial removal work

  • Basement Skylights:

    • Commercial skylight installation: $1,500–$8,000 per unit depending on type and glazing

    • Curb-mounted units: $1,500–$5,000 each

    • Low-E insulated glazing units: $2,000–$8,000

  • Hallway Skylights:

    • Commercial skylight installed cost: $1.50–$4.00/SF of skylight area

    • New opening installation (standard fixed unit): $3,000–$5,500 total

  • Solar Panel Array:

    • Commercial rooftop PV: $1.40–$1.80/W DC installed (2026 national average)

    • Federal ITC: 30% tax credit on total system cost

    • Net after ITC: approx. $0.98–$1.26/W

Total: $53,000 - $118,000

HOME >